Myanmar 2013

A training workshop took place in Naypyidaw, Myanmar from 17-21 June, 2013 in order to train and discuss the potential of geospatial technologies such as remote sensing to monitor and analyse changes of Myanmars natural resources.

(funded by the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry, Myanmar, The Smithsonian Institution, USA, World Wildlife Fund)

In collaboration with the GIS section of the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry (MOECAF), the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) with the cooperation of the Green Economy Green Growth – Myanmar (not for profit) Association (GEGG), a Geospatial Analysis Training and Strategic Planning Workshop took place in Naypyidaw from 17-21 June, 2013. Geospatial technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing analysis provide powerful tools for analyzing and monitoring changes in the environment at local and landscape scale. For the workshop, partner institutions including NASA SERVIR and ICIMOD, CEOS Biodiversity @ German Aerospace Center and Department of Remote Sensing, Uni Wuerzburg, and the American Museum of Natural History trained and discussed the challenges and options for remote sensing and the natural resources of Myanmar. The training introduced powerful open source tools and are designed specifically for conservation biology research, wildlife management applications, and natural resource management. These techniques are valuable for biodiversity and cultural heritage research and are greatly sought after by practitioners and scholars in Myanmar. Experts from across Myanmar’s natural resource community were invited to identify strategic opportunities and priorities for geospatial mapping of natural and cultural resources.